National Urban Workshop on Improving Living Environment and Health Condition of the Low Income Families in Urban Settlements, Held from 21St to 25Th October 2004
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National Urban Workshop on improving Living Environment and Health Condition of the Low Income Families in Urban Settlements, held from 21st to 25th October 2004 by the Janarukula Background Women’s Development Bank Federation (WDBF) which was promoted on 10th February 1998 carried out its saving and credit programs covering both urban and poor families living in several districts in Sri Lanka. Under this program 5 to 10 women were brought into one cohesive mutual help group. Every week every member saves Rs.5 in these groups. These saving are used to provide small loans to these members to meet their emergencies. Several groups in a settlement get together for solidarity purpose and from an entity called a Primary Society. These primary societies again federate at zonal level to from the Zonal Societies and at Districts Societies. WDBF is the Apex entity at national level to institutionalize and to coordinate all these women’s groups. The national conventions of the WDBF held in 1999 and 2003 proved how strongly that these Women’s Groups spread in urban settlements and rural hamlets in SriLanka, have come to be a reinforcing mechanism to address the issues of both rural and urban poor. Although WDBF is an endeavor of the poor to improve their own living condition by mobilizing their own resources, later it realized the importance of working in partnership with the other government and local government actors engaged in improving the living conditions of the people in various spheres. Accordingly WDBF at local level joined hands with respective Local Authorities, Grama Nildhharis, (Village level government officer) Public Health Inspectors, Officers of Agricultural and Agrarian Services Departments, and made use of their expertise in implementing its programs, such as promoting lavatory facilities, obtaining land clearance, and providing cultivation loans etc for improving conditions of the low income settlements in both rural and urban areas. This partnership approach, brought dividends to all the parties concern. For Local Authorities and other government officers, the Women Development Bank Federation became a vehicle to take their programs to real target groups. For WDBF, The officers in Local Authorities, Grama Niladharies, Public Health Inspectors and other various officers operating at community and village levels provided skills and expertise that the WDBF was not possessing to implement its saving and credit based poverty alleviation programs. In urban settlements this was clearly visible. Issues relating to housing, toilet facilities and other common amenities have been identified. Accordingly the federation is in operation in urban areas as indicated below: Name of Local Authority No. of Settlements No. of Members MUNICIPAL COUNCILS 1 Colombo 32 2133 2 Gampaha 12 432 3 Kandy 07 1016 4 Anuradhapura 10 365 5 Kurunegala 08 302 6 Rathnapura 10 456 7 Moratuwa 10 439 8 Negombo 06 205 9 Nuwara Eliya 07 258 10 Matale 03 180 URBAN COUNCILS 11 Peliyagoda 14 597 12 Chilaw 05 170 13 Puttalam 04 142 14 Kuliyapitiya 04 139 15 Kegalle 03 107 16 Kadugannawa 02 105 17 Kalutara 03 129 Total 140 7175 Out of the above 17 Local Authorities, the Federation decided to prepare and implement a Development program within the following 5 Local Authority areas, taking into consideration the strength of the WDBF activities now in operation within these Local Authority areas. The local level WDBF in these areas provided the leadership for the preparation of this development program. Federation decided to do this in partnership with the Local Authorities and other public institutions. This workshop was organized to achieve this objective. National Workshop on urban Development ‘ The National Workshop on improving Living Environment and Health Condition of the Low Income Families in Urban Settlements’ was the theme of the workshop. It has been decided to hold the national convention based on the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations Development Program from 21 to 25 October. Information relating to Local Authorities was collected by the respective local level women leaders of the Federation. Participation Local Authority Area and Institution No. of Other Participants 01 Colombo Municipal Council Women’s Development Bank Federation, Colombo 10 Colombo Municipal Council 02 02 Kurunagala Municipal Council Women’s Development Bank Federation, Kurunagala 08 Kurunagala Municipal Council 02 03 Gampaha Municipal Council Women’s Development Bank Federation, Gampaha 08 Gampaha Municipal Council 02 04 Kandy Municipal Council Women’s Development Bank Federation, Kandy 08 Kandy Municipal Council 02 05 Peliyagoda Urban Council Women’s Development Bank Federation, Peliyagoda 08 Paliyagoda Urban Council 02 06 Government Office Housing Ministry 02 National Housing Development Authority 03 National Water Supply & Drainage Board 01 Sri Lanka Land Reclamation & development 02 Corporation Ministry of Urban Development 02 07 National Federation Women’s Development Bank Federation 06 08 NGO Janarukula 03 Total 71 Activities of the Workshop The Chief Guest on the opening day of the workshop was His Workshop the Colombo MATOR Prassanna Gunawardene. In his address to the gathering he pointed out the various municipal works that can be performed in partnership with the Women’s Development Banks Federation. He cited Ibbagewatta settlement activities that were performed in partnership with the WDBF as a good example. In conclusion he said that he is eagerly awaiting the proposals from the workshop to implement some innovative programs. At the first session held after the inaugural meeting various problems affecting different settlements were identified. The second day was scheduled for the field visits to get the identified problems confirmed and explore the ways and means of formulating plans of actions to address the problems identified. Second Day – Field Visit Ibbagewatta Settlement The second day was the field visit day to Ibbagewaththa settlement. Ibbagewaththa is a low income settlement situated in the district No. 1 within the Colombo Municipal Council areas. In August 2002, the Municipal council has introduced the WDBF programs to this settlement Accordingly the women in this settlement are engaged in saving and credit activities. In this settlement there are 450 houses. All are unauthorized constructions. Ninety percent are shanties. There is one public toilet and three common stand pipes for the entire settlement. Inhabitants are exposed to various diseases and epidemics due to the lack of sanitary and health facilities and common amenities. As these settlers have encroached in to canal reservations they do not have any land tenures. The Activities of the Women Development Banking Federation The women in Ibbagewaththa were mobilized into saving and credit groups by the WDBF. In addition to the engagement in savings and credit programs these groups have become solidarity groups for these women to meet weekly and discuss the problems that they have to face. One of the important issues that have surfaced due these group interactions was the drainage problem that they were experiencing. There is no proper drainage system within the settlement. On rainy days all waste water in the settlements are flowing through the houses. This problem has been discussed within groups and brought to the notice of the Janarukula and the Colombo Municipal Council. Accordingly at a discussion headed by the Mayor with the participation of Janarukula and WDBF a decision was taken to construct drains by the WDBF with the participation of the community. The Municipal Council undertook to provide three culverts to the settlement. Accordingly the WDBF with financial support of the SDI , could spend Rs. 23548/= for the construction of drains. The community contributed Rs. 5700/= in cash and the labor, free of change. When the construction work on drains was completed, the Municipal Council too has completed the construction of the three culverts that is has promised. Poranukotuwaththa Settlement This is a low income settlement within the Peliyagoda Urban Council areas, situated closer to Colombo Municipal Council boundary. It consists of 143 houses, mainly shanties to provide accommodation for 404 families with a total population of nearly 1600. All houses are in unauthorized constructions in a land belonging to the Urban Development Authority. Lack of common amenities including toilet facilities are the general problems that the community in this settlement have to face. The savings and credit program of the Women’s Development Bank Federation has been introduced to this settlement in the year 2000 by the Peliyagoda Urban Council. Activities of the Women’s Development Bank Federation In the year 2003, the women in Poranukotuwaththa settlement have promoted a Primary branch federating its own women’s groups for solidarity purposes, under the umbrella of WDBF. This primary society is managed by a committee selected from the leaders of the women’s groups. Thus it has paved the way to promote leadership skills among the women in the settlements. This primary society is actively engaged in mobilizing savings from members and also from non- members to meet their social and economic needs. Thus it has become popular organization within the settlement. The primary society did not confine only to the savings and credit programs. It has focused its attention on the other common problems that the community in the settlement has to face. According to its findings one of the most acute problems that the community in this settlement is facing is the toilet problem. They do not have individual toilets. The public toilet that the Peliyagoda Urban Council has constructed for this settlement has been dilapidated and has become unusable. To satisfy their daily private needs they have to go the public toilet in another settlement on the other side of the Colombo - Negombo main road. Being a busiest road with heavy traffic it has become a tedious task for them to cross the road to answer their natural compulsion. The primary society took the initiative to solve this problem.